Vans Warped Tour Releases Full Lineup for 2012

As the annual Vans Warped Tour nears its 18th year of touring and continues its steady decline, organizers have announced the headliners to this year’s festival: Pierce the Veil, Anti-Flag, Falling in Reverse, Four Year Strong, We the Kings, Of Mice and Men, Streetlight Manifesto, and Yellowcard.

Fans of the festival may be surprised to find out that this year’s tour will not only be shorter, but it will also hit some smaller venues than it normally plays. For example, although it normally hits The Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA, this year the WA Warped Tour will take place at the significantly smaller—albeit closer to Seattle—Marymoor Park in Redmond, WA. Could this be a sign that the end of the Warped Tour is nigh?

Either way, they are returning this year with a mostly subpar lineup:

A Loss for Words
After the Burial
All Time Low
Anthony Raneri
Anti-Flag
Ballyhoo!
Bangups
Bayside
blessthefall
Born of Osiris
Breathe Carolina
Brian Marquis
Captain Capa
CatchingYourClouds
Champagne Champagne
Chelsea Grin
Chunk! No Captain Chunk!
Cold Forty Three
Dead Sara
Divided by Friday
Echo Movement
Every Time I Die
Falling in Reverse
Fireworks
For Today
Four Year Strong
Funeral Party
G-Eazy
Hostage Calm
Hyro da Hero
I Am the Avalanche
I Call Fives
I Fight Dragons
Impending Doom
Into It. Over It.
It Boys!
iwrestledabearonce
Justina
Koji
Living With Lions
Lost In Society
Machine Gun Kelly
Make Do and Mend
Man Overboard
Matt Toka
Mayday Parade
Memphis May Fire
Mighty Mongo
Miss May I
Mad Sun
Motionless in White
New Found Glory
Of Mice and Men
Oh No Fiasco
Owen Plant
Pierce the Veil
Polar Bear Club
Rise to Remain
Senses Fail
Sick of Sarah
Skip the Foreplay
Sleeping with Sirens
Stepdad
Streetlight Manifesto
Super Water Sympathy
T. Mills
Taking Back Sunday
Ten Second Epic
The Constellations
The Darlings
The Ghost Inside
The Green
The Jukebox Romantics
The Silver Comet
The Used
Title Fight
Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds
Tonight Alive
Tony D’Angelo
Transit
Twin Atlantic
Vampires Everywhere!
Vanna
Vinnie Caruana
Wax
We Are the In Crowd
We Are the Ocean
We the Kings
Wick-It the Instigator
Yellowcard
You Me At Six

The lineup may seem dark and depressing (which it is) but fret not, for there are a handful of silver linings in this black cloud:

Anti-Flag– a great political punk group who have been doing what they’ve been doing for around 20 years, and they do it with masterful knowledge and inspiring attitude.

Dead Sara– Just ask Antiquiet; these guys know how to rock. Not quite a punk band or an emo band, but certainly a good old fashioned rock and roll band. You can even check out my review of the group from last fall’s tour in support of Bush by clicking here.

The Green– If you do prefer simpler reggae, however, then I have good news for you. Hawaii’s own The Green are playing Warped, and are as real as it gets. Just picture a more serious version of Pepper.

Every Time I Die– Part punk and part Refused-style post hardcore, Every Time I Die are Warped alumni that do not deserve your hatred. They incorporate cleverness and humor into their songs (but mostly the song titles) and also know how to throw a heavy metal redneck type of party.

Streetlight Manifesto– One of the few real ska bands on this list, unfortunately. But fortunately for you, they are awesome. They just finished a co-headlining tour with fellow Warped alumni Reel Big Fish, and are adding their energetic horns-heavy brand of third wave ska to lighten up the mood of this dismal festival.

Funeral Party – Our founder Reverend Jusito caught these guys last fall supporting Death From Above 1979 and was impressed by their unique mix of post hardcore dance punk.